First Crucial Contacts – Part 3 – The Script

See here for Part 1 and Part 2.

We’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words, but sometimes in sales, it’s math that speaks louder than words. Here is a general script I use to record videos that are sent out by myself or by my CSR, like I mentioned in Part 2 (First Crucial Contacts – The Repair vs Replace Video). It talks about replacing a system versus repairing, and is especially effective when sent to customers with older units.

Feel free to customize the script to fit your scenario. You can add the customer’s name to it when talking to the camera to make it feel personal. You can also change the part names and figures to reflect current prices. And change the text to reflect the common (or expensive) repairs in your particular region. The point is to help a customer understand their upcoming costs with their old system and their potential savings if purchasing a new system from you.

The Script

Hi, I’m Wally, a professional home comfort specialist. I want to talk to you today about one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners and that is whether to replace your heating and air conditioning system, or repair it.

You know, there’s a possibility you got up today and your system wasn’t working so you had to spend some money on a repair to get it working again. Or you might be in a situation where you’re just kind of contemplating whether or not you should be proactive and replace the system before it goes out in the middle of the night.

I want to talk to you for a minute about those challenges and the various considerations as you make this decision – “Do I repair the system or do I replace it?” Even if you’re not planning on replacing the system right now, there’s a pretty good chance if we’re having this conversation that you’ll probably replace it in the next five years.

The reality is that if your system is getting old, it’s inefficient. It’s probably not heating and cooling very well and therefore not very comfortable. So think about this. If you’re going to replace it in the next five years, you need to know what the true costs are to keep that system over the next five years.

The Money Pit

Even if you don’t have a repair right now, your system is getting older. There’s a pretty good chance that you WILL need a repair in the next five years. Maybe that’s $200 for a new igniter. It can also cost about $1500 for a new blower motor. Bottom line is that these repairs tend to be very, very expensive.

But the other issue, and probably the bigger issue, is the inefficiency of these older systems.

Now suppose you’re currently spending $2,000 a year on heating and cooling costs for your home. It’s not uncommon with these older systems to waste a lot of money on energy. The newer systems can typically save as much as 20% on utility bills. So think about that. If you’re spending $2,000 a year on heating and cooling your home and you can save 20% a year, you’re talking about $400 savings in one year. Over five years, that’s $2,000 total saved with a new system in utility bills alone.

Then of course, there are future repairs. What if something else happens three or four years down the road on your old system? A single repair to your old system might be $1000. And let’s not forget about good old inflation. A new system can cost $500 more five years from now than it does today. We’re talking about $2,000 over five years in utility overpayment, plus $500 in inflation, plus $1,000 per repair.

Antiques Aren’t Always Charming

You’re going to likely invest a minimum of $3,500 into that old system whether you like it or not. Here’s the worst news. Five years from now, you will have spent about $3500 and you’re still going to have the old system. So you’ll still need to go out and get a new one.

The reality is in many, many cases, it makes sense to take that money and invest in a new high efficiency system, especially since it’s getting old and eventually will need some repairs, if not today. So something to think about, I know it’s a big decision. We all have to think about our budgets, but in some cases, in many cases, it makes sense to do the replacement rather than the repair.

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